This Korean blockbuster movie by director Kang Woo-suk, acclaimed for previous hits including "Two Cops" and "Public Enemy," is based on a true story of a secret South Korean commando whose existence has been veiled to the public. Having lived as a social outcast on account of his father who went to North Korea, Gang In-chan (starred by Seol Gyeong-gu) is again charged with attempted murder. In a desperate effort for survival, Gang joins a new special commando organized after North Korea's armed guerillas' attempt to assassinate the South Korean president in 1968. Gang and 30 other conscripted soldiers undergo hellish training and are transformed into virtual human weapons. With a reconciliatory mood forming between the two Koreas, however, their mission is abruptly halted on the very day of operation. Now, frustrated by the Seoul government's decision to disband the special force, they are acutely conscious of their ill fate and decide to take vengeance on the president. The story is based on the Silmido incident on Aug. 23 in 1971 when the government declared a state of emergency. The movie is a real manifestation of divided Korea's tragedy.
